At the Du Pont Powder Works on the banks of the Brandywine River near Wilmington suffered heavy damage when a series of explosions demolished several buildings and killed seven men instantly. A horse drawn wagon was being loaded to transfer powder between processes just before eleven in the morning when the first explosion took place without warning. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"The Explosion at Wilmington, " New York Times, October 24, 1859, p. 4.